The next day, we stayed and chatted for a few hours with everyone. Jake came by with his wife, Lady Rainicorn, and introduced us all. He seemed to be the only one who could understand her, but he didn't mind translating. She seemed lovely, and very friendly. Cake, Marceline and Bubblegum went to the nursery to play with Prince Koda and talk more about babies. I never knew that Cake was so into being a mother. I mean, I knew she liked to mother people, but when there are actual babies around, she goes into mother hen mode.
Finn, Marshall and I walked around the palace, talking more about the Lich, as well as some changes that were happening. "No one else seems to notice, but things feel weird here. Like, something electrifying the air. It's strange. I've been noticing things just pop up out of nowhere, too. The animals are changing, and these dark rocks and shrubs and trees just appear." Finn looked really concerned. This was the most serious I've probably ever seen him.
"That's happening in Aaa, too. All our birds are disappearing, and crows just show up and hang out around the palace. And there was this black, cold tree in the middle of a wheat field that had this chilling feel to it. But no one seems to mind, really. It's not hurting anyone, so they don't bother with it. It all just creeps me out." I gripped Marshalls hand tightly as we walked, the cloudy, snowy sky providing an ominous feeling.
"So you guys noticed, too?" Marshall added, listening carefully. "It's not just the nature stuff, though. People have started to act strange. My old homies out by the cave are so… slow now. They act like they're in a trance. It's subtle, though. If you didn't know them, you wouldn't notice. But the way they move, and the slow, stutter-y way they speak… it's creepy, man."
"You guys think it's something to worry about?" Finn asked, looking deeply at both of us, studying our faces.
"I'm not sure. But if it's starting to effect people, maybe we should investigate. Maybe it's a sign or something." As I spoke, a dark feeling started to fall over me.
"If it's a sign, it's a damn subtle one. I don't think we should cause a panic, though. Just keep an eye out for changes." Marshall made a lot of sense. We couldn't exactly prove that something was happening, because of how subtle things were. We just had to keep watching out for these signs we kept seeing around the kingdom.
With the chilling feeling looming over us, we went back to the palace to gather up Cake and head back home. Everyone gave us a warm goodbye, and we practically had to pry Cake away from the Prince. She always said she wished her kittens didn't grow up so fast, so I understood why she was compensating with Finn and Bubblegum's baby.
On the walk back to the portal, Cake went on and on about me and Gumball and Marshall having babies so she could be an auntie. As if it wasn't uncomfortable enough for me, Marshall started to walk in stiff strides as she talked. Obviously, he didn't want to be a daddy just yet.
Gumball welcomed us back with open arms, asking us all about our time in Ooo. When Cake told him about the baby and the pregnancies, his cheeks filled up with a warm glow. Marshall quickly changed the subject to what the three of us were talking about in our walk around the palace.
"While you've been away, I have noticed something strange with Peppermint Maid. She seems dazed, and she slurs and stutters her words slightly. It's not a huge difference, but it's enough for me to notice. I gave her the day off to feel better, though she insisted she was fine," Gumball explained, adding even more to our growing concern.
"First the tree, then the birds, now the people? What the math is happening?" I asked, my fear growing into frustration.
"We're not sure if it's all connected, baby. Maybe we should go out and survey the kingdom for more strange stuff, see if there's a link between it all," Cake soothed me, calming me down.
I took a deep breath and nodded, trying to not let this whole thing get to me. "We should go soon, then. If Peppermint Maid can change this quickly, then maybe some more stuff popped up while we were gone."
"Actually, there was a complaint from a village just south of here. It was very… odd. I thought you might want to go and check it out when you got back," Gumball said, thinking hard on it. "The village elder said that their village had been invaded by monsters."
"Monsters! For how long? How many people did they hurt?" I asked, feeling far more excited than I should have been. Finally! Something to do!
"He said they've been there for a week. The thing is, they haven't hurt anyone. They're just sitting there, in a ring around a well. They haven't moved an inch since they got there. They're like statues, they just… sit." Gumball's expression told me that I officially knew as much as he did.
I felt my face twist into a mess of confusion, but shook my head to clear my thoughts away. "Well, Cake, are you ready for an adventure? At the very least, maybe we can see what those monsters are doing for ourselves."
"Heck yeah, sugar! I've been waitin' for this!" Cake exclaimed, twisting her arms around me and sprinting us out the door. Obviously, she was just as excited as I was.
As we traveled south, I kept a lookout for anything that might seem different or out of place. I watched the trees fly past us and noticed that one tree in every half-mile or so was as black as the tree from the field. And the animals… even though most of them acted normally, I saw a few that were just… strange. A deer kept walking into a tree, a squirrel kept picking up an acorn and setting it on the other side of him, and there were even a few fish that purposely swam to the shore of their pond to suffocate. What the hay was happening?
It didn't take us long to get there. The village was small, filled with tiny fluffy people, who lived in tiny rock or straw huts, with one regular-sized well smack in the middle of town. The fluffy people, for whatever reason, didn't build close to the well, which turned out to be a really good thing, because monsters twice and three times my size were all sitting around it, still as stone. I drew my sword and carefully inched toward them, trying not to make a sound. As I did, I watched their movements. There were none. Not a breath, not a blink, not a twinge of a muscle. They just… sat there. I inched up behind one and poked it lightly with my sword. Nothing. I poked it again, but this time harder. Nothing.
Then, out of sheer curiosity, I drew my sword all the way back, screamed in fury, and slashed the monsters back as hard as I could. The flesh ripped wide open, screaming with the hiss of steam coming from it, but no blood. No flinch. Still, no reaction. I hung my sword arm down to my side and watched the wound for a second. Slowly, a black mist leaked out of the beast, and as it covered the meat and flesh that I tore, the wound began to close itself up.
"What the math?" I whispered as I watched. "Cake," I called, turning my head slightly so I could keep my eyes on the monster. "Cake, did you see that? Did you see what just happened?"
"Sweet babies, I saw it! I wish I didn't, but I saw it!" she called back, making her way towards me.
"We have done just as you have done, your highness, and still, each of these creatures releases a black mist and heals the wounds," an old, ancient voice rang out from the other side of the monster ring. The village elder, or so I assumed, stepped out into view, his fluff sort of wilting, his back hunched over and a cane holding him up, his long beard dragging on the ground between his feet.
"Have you tried this on every monster?" I asked, going back to observing the monster I just cut.
"We have. We have even removed limbs, and still, they do not move. I am at a loss. They are causing no trouble to us, but the energy they give off is far too frightening to my people." An air of sadness clouded around him. I could only imagine how difficult it must be for him. These were his people, and they looked to him to keep them safe.
"Have you tried taking them away? Just moving them out of here?" Cake asked him, eyeing the one monster that looked light enough for the fluffy people to carry.
"Yes. That one you're looking at was removed by the strongest warriors of the village, but within hours, it found its' way back," he said, sounding defeated and bitter.
"What's the deal with the well?" I asked. I had to. I knew the focus was on the ring of monsters, but that well… there was something about it. It was like those whispers from the tree followed me here, and were ringing out from the well, but only I could hear it.
"That well was there from the old world, before the Mushroom Wards. My village established itself around it because the well proved to be clean and healthy to my people. It has never given us trouble, only strength."
From the old world? How did a well from the old world not only survive, but continue to function after the war? Hardly anything that wasn't magical functioned the right way after the war, or so I was told. Everything had to be reinvented. And the people… how have they lived this long on this land, being so close to an old world relic?
I sighed, feeling heavy with questions and not enough answers to make me feel light. "I'm sorry, Village Elder, but if they can't be killed or taken away, I'm afraid they'll have to stay here. I'll put in an order for the Banana Guards to come out and cage them up. Maybe if they're caged in, they won't come back to the well. Still, I'm worried about you and your people. Maybe they aren't the only monsters around that want to join this ring of creepy. I hereby grant you temporary land and housing near the Candy Palace, with protection, until we can solve this weirdness. Is there anything else I can give you?"
He looked at the ground, feeling even sadder than before. "I would very much like to stay in this village. For most of us, our entire lives have been spent within this area. It could be devastating to some of our people. But, you make a good point. Even if we can contain the creatures, there is no guarantee that other, possibly more vicious beasts will not appear. I only request that we receive some sort of help and transportation. Our small legs couldn't handle such a journey."
"Of course, the land I gave you is far from here, even for me. I'll give instructions to the Banana Guards to set up a litter for you and your people. You should be moved away from all this within the week," I offered, trying my best to comfort him.
He gave me a weak smile and said, "Thank you, your majesty. You are a kind and benevolent queen." In the best way he could, he bowed to me.
I blushed a little and twisted my toes into the dirt, not sure what to say.
Cake changed the subject to something far more important. "Village Elder, have you seen anything else strange around here lately? Anything out of place?"
He rose up from his bow and stroked is long, fuzzy beard for a moment. "The animals do not behave as they used to, and some of the bushes we used to gather berries from have been infected with a spiritual sickness that no medicine man or witch doctor can cure. It has been difficult finding appropriate food."
"A spiritual sickness? What does that mean?" I asked, totally absorbed in his story.
"It is a sickness that is not of this earth. It comes from elsewhere, a place that we cannot touch. In the old culture, it was believed that such a sickness was a sign from the heavens of bad things to come. We have not seen such a sickness in generations, and have lost the ability to protect ourselves from it." As he spoke, his voice began to wheeze, and he had to stop and take a deep breath. "I believe the monsters and the sickness are related somehow."
My mind was racing a million miles a minute. Monsters, sickness, protection, animals, trees, food, the well… What was I supposed to make of all of this? There was no doubt in my mind. Something was happening. Or, better yet, something was coming.
"Thank you for your time, village elder. Please, go get some rest. I'll put a rush order in for the Banana Guards, and make sure they get you to as soon as possible. We'll watch to see if anything around your village changes while you're gone." I bent down on one knee and reached out a finger to shake his hand. He nodded to me, shook my finger, and then rested it on his cane so he could lean on it heavily. He wheezed again, this time coughing a little, and turned to head back the way he came.
Cake and I left the village without a word, feeling down trodden and confused. On the way back, I let my mind flow with everything we just saw and learned. There was definitely a connection. But to what? And for what reason?
I sympathized with the village elder in more ways than one. I was a protector, a savior, a hero, but I was also a queen. I had responsibilities to thousands of people, to keep them safe… from everything. Even the things I couldn't wrap my head around just yet.
I had to sort this out, and soon. For the Candy Kingdom. For Aaa. For everyone.